Caucasian Carpet Motifs

Cloud bands like flowers are usually curvilinear in persian and indian carpets while they are geometricized in caucasian rugs.

Caucasian carpet motifs.

If you read my first tentative post about carpet motifs you may remember that i promised a follow up dedicated exclusively to border motifs my attempt at compiling a comprehensive glossary of border motifs however very quickly ran into a wall. Caucasian rugs are primarily produced as village productions rather than city pieces. Rugs and carpets period. The motifs of the field signify that which is essential the attributes that are the birthright of man and may inspire one for a more fulfilling life.

The strongest market for caucasian rugs has to be italy who appreciates these rugs for their tribal and primitive designs. Fence of security the innermost and outermost borders of antique caucasian rugs often feature a reciprocal crenellated fence motif. After some searching i discovered that the carpet motif that had revealed my lack of erudition represented neither a cockroach nor a dragon but the scarab beetle a common motif in caucasian and persian tribal rugs especially qashqai rugs. Soft wool cotton weft wool warp and natural dyes are featured.

Cloud bands are one of my favorite types of motifs found in rugs specifically caucasian carpets. Another reason why the italian market is so strong is the fact that most of the rooms as considerably smaller than those in the usa since the. Made from materials particular to individual tribal provinces the rugs of the caucasus normally display bold geometric designs in primary colours. Very good with quality pile all over and some small oxidized brown areas.

Late 19th century technique. Oliveira antique caucasian shirvan rug. These age old symbols were considered sacred. Styles typical to the caucasus region are daghestan shirvan gendje rugs kazakh and quba rugs.

Caucasian rugs are probably the most widely collected type of antique rugs. Pictured below is a cloud band in a chonderesk carpet. Several carpet styles from contemporary northwestern iran also. Below is an amulet motif seen in a caucasian kazak prayer rug.